It's been a month since Bruce Bond returned to midstate airwaves on 92.1 WTPA-FM - and already the Bond effect has been noticed.

Web streaming for Bond's timeslot, 9 a.m.-noon on Saturdays, is up 60-70 percent, according to Tim Michaels, vice president and general manager for the station. It's an unusual increase. "When you're looking at web, typically office hours are your highest peak listening," Michaels explained. "But it was really interesting when I was looking at the data and saw that Saturday, when he comes on the air, there's definitely a spike there."

As for how it's working with ratings for the station, Michaels said that information was not yet available, as ratings surveys are done quarterly. But he did say that he has received a lot of "positive comments about Bruce, and Bruce certainly has had a solid following of people who listen to him."

Bond himself has found his rhythm, mostly by pulling in different co-hosts and guests every week. It's a move Michaels approves of. "When [Bond] has someone in the studio with him, it allows his creativity to flow," Michaels said.

The show now features less music than it did when it started and more Bond. While the conversation still appears scattered, there's now a steady stream of thought. The addition of interviews - his July 19 show included chats with comedian Mark Malkoff and his old on-air bud John Shaffer - also keeps the pace going. It's a move Bond appears to be continuing, as PennLive's Julia Hatmaker is scheduled to appear on the show on Aug. 9.

As for the conversation, Bond touches on news topics, but he isn't aiming to shock. His legendary on-air antics, it would seem, may be gone for good.